A new standard for welded stainless steel tube, long awaited by the market, has finally come to light. It is outlined in EN 10217-7, "Welded steel tubes for pressure purposes – Technical delivery conditions – Part 7: Stainless steel tubes."
The document is an essential reference for manufacturers and users of welded stainless steel tube. The tubes are used in various applications, some of which involve heat exchangers, equipment for the food industry, mechanical and civil constructions, chemical-pharmaceutical equipment, and tubes for conduction and plant engineering.
The new standard, once it has been implemented by all members of the European Community, will replace all national standards that have applied to this field.
EN 10217-7 will be subject to the procedure for inclusion in the new, harmonized standards under Directive 97/23/EC (PED - Pressure Equipment Directive). This will have an important bearing on the construction of tube bundle heat exchangers, which are subject to the above-mentioned directive, and on all devices considered to be under pressure (min 0.5 bar).
In the end, widespread national standards will be replaced with DIN 17457 and NF A 49-147, which were the references in Europe for quality welded stainless steel tube. The table below, extrapolated from a publication of the European Steel Tube Association, shows the national standards that will be replaced by EN 10217-7.
